Optical stabilization is one of the big buzzwords for smartphone cameras this year, and we’ve seen the feature pop up in models like the LG G2, Samsung GS4 Zoom, and of course a number of Nokia Lumia models, which really brought the tech to our attention. Now a new rumor out of South Korea says that Samsung is looking to continue to embrace stabilization going forward, and has been working on a stabilized 16-megapixel imaging system for its future smartphones.

Reportedly, Samsung had been intending to launch this new camera inside the Galaxy Note III, which we’re expecting to see go official a week from Wednesday. As the tale goes, apparently Samsung hit some delays getting things ready in time, which may be tied to issues with how the stabilization interacts with the camera’s auto-focus abilities.

That said, it sounds like Samsung is committed to seeing development of this camera through, and it will be popping up on future hardware – just not the Galaxy Note III. Since it seems like a pretty big feature, the kind we’d expect Samsung to fully exploit for a flagship launch, missing the Note III means we may end up waiting until the Galaxy S 5 to see this puppy debut.

Stephen has been writing about electronics since 2008, which only serves to frustrate him that he waited so long to combine his love of gadgets and his degree in writing. In his spare time, he collects console and arcade game hardware, is a motorcycle enthusiast, and enjoys trapping blue crabs. Stephen's first mobile device was a 624 MHz Dell Axim X30, which he's convinced is still a viable platform. Stephen longs for a market where phones are sold independently of service, and bandwidth is cheap and plentiful; he's not holding his breath. In the meantime, he devours smartphone news and tries to sort out the juicy bitsRead more about Stephen Schenck!